The 50-State Secession

by Paul Bonneau
1.paulbx1 -+at+- dfgh -=dot=- net

Attributionto The Libertarian Enterprise, Sept. 21, 2008

There have been rumblings about secession lately. The blue-state liberals talked it up a bit after the last election, and most readers here probably have been following the goings-on in states like Vermont and Alaska.

One thing that has struck me about these is their air of unreality. If the god-king Lincoln managed to get the (rump) nation to prevent 7, and then 11 states from seceding almost 150 years ago, killing 600,000 Americans in the process, then what chance does a single state now have against a much more powerful and entrenched federal government, that runs the largest empire on earth? “The secession question has been settled.”

And it is hard to argue against this point. Whenever anyone thinks of, say, Vermont leaving, they just shake their head. Little old Vermont with the U.S. as a neighbor? Yeah, right…

But, what if all 50 states seceded at about the same time? Then, little old Vermont starts to look pretty viable. Its neighbors would be not the U.S., but New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York and Quebec! Vermont could go on its own, or join with one or several of these in confederation. As to Quebec, if 50 states seceded, could a subsequent Canadian secession not be far behind?

Well, fine, you say. But how can you get all 50 states to secede when one is all but impossible?

Is it really that unlikely? The large problems with one state seceding is its lack of viability and the objection of the criminals running the federal government. But a 50-state secession erases both those problems. That in turn makes it a concept that is not instantly dismissed, in the minds of people who think on it. Strangely, 50 state participation may make secession more possible than one.

There was a bit of grafitti on a highway overpass in Portland, Oregon, that stayed there for a very long time. It said, “U.S. out of Oregon!” A lot of people, across the spectrum, would love to give Washington, DC the boot. A 50-state secession is a way to do that, without worrying about repercussions as the Old South had to deal with.

Arizonans angry about lack of federal control on the border? They could now do it themselves. Wyomingites mad about federal meddling in bear and wolf populations? Cheyenne would now be in control. Oregonians hating the federal invasions of other countries? Oregon would no longer be a part of it. People in all western states thinking BLM and Forest Service land should belong to their own states, not controlled by a federal government and Senators from New York or California? Their lands would be restored to them. Southerners wanting to feel proud of their heritage? A new secession would validate their past, and end Lincoln worship.

“Dump D.C.” could become a very popular bumper sticker.

But how could a 50-state secession happen?

Think “North American Union”. At some point, the ruling class is going to push this, probably when the dollar has been killed off and the “amero” is to be foisted upon us as a replacement. A big gun confiscation is likely to be part of this package. That’s the time people will be thinking most about national sovereignty, borders, and associations with others. If they have no alternative, then the NAU seems inevitable. But there is an alternative, the 50-state secession, and a lot of people will like this alternative! If the pressure builds in enough states, and some of them start sending resolutions of secession to Washington, DC, then others may jump on the bandwagon. “NAU? No, thank you. We prefer to go our own way instead.”

This might even happen after the NAU is established. Americans would feel little allegiance to an NAU, making the secession idea even more palatable to them.

The resolutions could read something like this: “If at least 30 other states send resolutions of secession to the federal government, then the State of X will from that point on be independent, and no longer under control of the federal government.” That way, the early ones would not be out there, twisting in the wind.

No doubt the first thing that would happen is the creation of regional confederations; for example, Oregon, Washington state, British Columbia. Neighboring states and provinces may join this “Cascadia” such as Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and Alberta. The Dakotas might go with Minnesota and Wisconsin. Other states like Texas and California might just go it alone.

The American Empire, like all empires, is about to end. A 50-state secession would be the least destructive, most promising path to that end. It would restore the early promise of America, that has been all but lost in the last several decades. Dump D.C.!